


Worries and Welfare

by Twintaileddragon



Category: Lobotomy Corporation, Lobotomy Corporation (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Forbidden Love, Jealousy, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2019-11-15 04:39:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18066731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twintaileddragon/pseuds/Twintaileddragon
Summary: Human Sephirah, Slight Canon changesAfter the entirety of Welfare team is killed, Chesed and the CEOs daughter are left to pick up the pieces. They bond and it seems that they get too close for everyone's liking.





	1. Chapter 1

He tracked a small bit of blood behind him as he walked, trudging through the puddles of blood and bile and bits of viscera. The man ran a hand through his blue hair, letting out a tough sigh as he named off every single mangled body that he passed. He tried to imagine them walking triumphantly behind them, telling him the news and keeping him up to date with the abnormalities. He almost managed to smile, even though the top of his shoe knocked an eye ball out of his path. He took in a shaky breath. If only he had a coffee right now. The smell was overwhelming and it had only been a few hours since the incident. The remainders of teams were rounding up the few escaped abnormalities left. Nothing remained in his department. The Sephirah sighed, his eyes darting back and forth at the twisted faces of corpses he passed.  
"Sefirot meeting. now." He heard. He didn't bother to stop walking or turn around, still shambling down the hall just as slowly as before. "Chesed," He heard sternly. "I need you to come with me."  
"Yesod, I'm busy." He finally answered, putting his hands in his pockets. " Go bother someone else."  
"Angela needs to speak to all of us on the CEO's behalf." The purple haired man said once more. He seemed a bit steamed, gritting his teeth as he spoke. "It's in your best interest to show up."  
"I'll get there. Let me grieve in peace." Chesed said firmly, finally glaring over his shoulder at the man. Yesod scoffed, not bothering any longer and simply walking away.Chesed stayed for a bit longer, the sound of light chanting still ringing in his memory as he took in the carnage around him. He didn't want to be here any longer. He thought he prepared himself for this. Maybe not well enough.

 

Chesed arrived in the meeting room, noting that he was the 5th one to arrive. He smiled, taking a seat next to the twins and kicking back in his chair with a fresh cup of coffee in his right hand. At the end of the table sat you. Chesed couldn't help but smile wider to see you. The CEO didn't let his daughter deal with such affairs quite normally, so it was a joy to see him prepping you for the position of manager. Angela stood to your right, informing you in her robotic way of your basic duties and such.  
"Sorry I'm late." Said the man with the olive hair, making the female twin to Chesed's right let out a low groan.  
"Why don't you take your job seriously!?"   
"Lisa, Not today-"  
"No, Netzach, Not in here." Angela quickly warned, hearing the man enter. "She is referred to as Tiphereth in a professional setting."  
"That makes it hard as fuck to differentiate between them." Netzach said under his breath, taking a seat beside Chesed. They smiled at each other. "I can call you by your name right, Danny boy?"  
" Shut up, Giovanni." Chesed joked under his breath, making sure not to be heard by Angela. It seemed that she turned her focus back to you. Chesed liked the name he was given. Much more so than Daniel. Sephirah's weren't allowed to go by their real names, which was weird for the twins but mostly no one complained. A few more people entered the room but Chesed didn't turn to look, still watching you thumb through paperwork, trying to figure out what was what.  
"Everyone, Thank you for coming." Angela started. The doors closed almost on cue, putting a few of the more meek sefirot on edge. "Now. As I'm sure you all are aware, we suffered a massive breach 4 hours ago that we have, only 20 minutes ago, gotten under control." While her voice sounded calm, everyone winced at the surely scathing intentions. "The breach started in the Security Department."  
"Big shocker." The female Tiphereth said under her breath. She didn't really care who heard and Netzach sunk lower in his chair after hearing his department on blast. Chesed offered him a weak smile, hoping he wasn't discouraged.  
"Because of this over 100 employee's are now dead." Angela continued, " The entirety of Welfare team, including clerks, is dead."  
"Ouch," Started the Snarky red head across the table. "Chesed how could you let them all die?" He pursed his lips, moving to take a sip of coffee only to notice that his hand was shaking. He seemed surprised, trying his best to remain calm.  
"Sephirah Chesed."  
"Yes, Ma'am." He answered quickly. Angela looked pleased with that, at least. She looked through some papers for a moment, handing a few off to you, who looked very confused sitting at the head of the table.   
"With your team dead, we may have to move abnormalities and close your department until we can hire some replacements." He simply nodded. He didn't really want to hear that but at this point there was nothing he could do. Until you spoke.  
"Why?" Your question was simple yet the room sat in silence. You almost felt stupid, all those eyes on you. You leaned back a little in your fancy chair, biting your lip. Reluctantly, you explained. "I've seen departments run with only a couple people."  
"It's possible," Angela started, "but Chesed has some very dangerous abnormalities in his department. We cannot entrust one person to handle them all."  
"I have an idea," the raven haired woman spoke, the tone of her voice dragging along.   
"Yes, Binah?"  
"Swap his out with a couple of simple ones from other departments. Give him some easy ones and he'll be able to handle the job on his own. If we take Welfare team out of commission totally then we'd be losing a lot of energy production."  
"I do not believe Chesed could handle his entire department on his own." Angela said flatly. Chesed felt a sting but quickly spoke up.  
"I can handle it. We need the energy production."  
"What if I help?" You asked, the entire room looking at you again, a couple of themes snickering. Angela seemed shocked, holding a hand to where a heart would be. "I needed field experience anyway."  
"I meant more of from a Sefirot perspective. Sefirots do not normally go into abnormality chambers. Chesed is only doing it because he has no team." She clarified, "I would never send you in there-"  
"I want to help!" You insisted, making Chesed smile. "I know it could be dangerous but isn't that what this whole line of work is like? I want to get to know this place from an employee's perspective!" Angela just blinked, staring at you with disbelief. She looked back to Chesed, who just shrugged.  
"... um... very well... I will try and fill his team quickly then.. in the mean time. Chesed.. get acquainted with your new... 'team member' ."


	2. Chapter 2

Chesed kept a steady smile as you followed him through the halls. Staff was busy vigorously  cleaning as you passed, desperately trying to clear the halls of the massacre that had taken place. You followed behind quietly, exciting and scared to finally do some work with actual abnormalities. You had read so many files and you were beginning to lose hope that you would ever get to interact with one. As the entered the calming blue halls of the Welfare department you let out a breathy sigh in awe. The sephirah couldn't help but laugh, followed by sipping his coffee.  
"Glad you like it. We're going to be spending a lot of time here in the coming weeks."  
"I'm so excited to get started."  
"It'll fade." He admitted, "you'll lose passion for this line of work. And I won't blame you when it happens. This place had a way of doing that." His tone was calm and nonchalant. It was almost as if he saw nothing wrong with what he was saying. You were a bit discouraged but tried to remain positive.  
"So, what abnormalities are you getting?"  
"I don't know," he admitted happily, "the others are playing grab bag with my abnormalities and trading them for their own. I don't know what we're going to be stuck with. Just my luck they'd shove all the Aleph's in my department."  
"Well, considering the terms of me working with you I don't think that will happen."  
"It was a joke, Sweetie." He said cheerfully, a hint of annoyance in his voice almost entirely hidden by his honied words. " We can't get 1 Sin and 100 good deeds like I requested. Malkuth says he's been intense lately. We don't want you to be exposed to that." As he talked a harsh vibrating came from his pocket. He sighed pulling his arm out and looking at his wrist. He pushed a few buttons on an unusually thick watch and you just sat back almost in awe. "Talk to me."  
"We moved abnormality O-02-56 into your department. At the moment they are all you have."  
"Thank you, Angela, We'll head that way." She hung up on him first and he quickly shook his head, turning to you and urging you to walk more beside him than behind him. "We got your first assignment, are you ready?"

 

He scanned his I.D. at the door, quickly stepping aside as it opened to let you in first. You stepped back a bit, nervous at the very thought.   
"Go ahead."  
"... the tag above the door says it's a TETH."  
"Astute observation." He said with a smile. "Just don't pet it and it won't kill you."  
"That's comforting." You said flatly. You peeked in, surprised to see a branch affixed to the floor and a tiny white bird sitting upon it.  You knew some abnormalities only seemed mundane so you remained on guard. Chesed just kept smiling. ".. you're coming with me right?"  
"I'll be right behind you." He promised, putting a hand to his heart. You nodded, walking in the room and feeling an unfamiliar cold rush as the door closed behind Chesed. He noticed your shiver and smiled.   
Walking in front of you, he gestured to the small bird. It wiggled a bit in response to the attention. Suddenly it took flight, flapping to you and landing on the top of your head. You gasped, largely by accident, amusing the sephirah.  
"... is it going to kill me?"  
"Nah," He said, enjoying the uncomfortable look on your face. "It's mostly just annoying."  
"Annoying- ah- what the fuck?" You were curious up until the little thing decided to peck you, jabbing at the top of your head over and over with its beak. Chesed snorted, turning away from you and holding back a hearty laugh. "Why is it doing that!?"  
"Sins or something. I don't know. Haven't read his file in years. He's easy to care for. Stand and talk to it. Don't pet it. I'll have to reread it sometime."  
"Make it stop, make it stop !" You panicked, trying to swat the little thing away. It stayed, clutching your hair and continuing to hammer away at your skull. Chesed just leaned against the wall, sipping his coffee and watching you walk backwards around the room and swat at the little creature in vain. "Chesed help!"  
"You're fine. Don't worry. He likes you."  
"I DON'T LIKE HIM."  
"Well that's not very nice." He said, shaking his coffee in an attempt to stir it. He clicked his tongue, annoyed. It had gone cold. You just just bumbling about and panicking while he slid down the wall, sitting down and setting his coffee on the ground beside him. He couldn't help but grin, seeing you struggling with a small bird. He clapped once, springing to his feet and heading for the door. "Lunch break."

 

You sat close to Chesed as you ate your sandwich, leaning against him as the punishing bird stared you down. Chesed was eating like nothing was wrong. He didn't even mind you leaning against him.  
"Why are we eating in the containment unit of the Punishing bird?" You finally asked, staring down the creature. It just hopped towards you and all of a sudden you shrieked. The Sephirah couldn't hold back his amusement.   
"He's got his own sandwich." He said quickly, reaching in the bag to his left and taking out a slightly less decorated sandwich. He tossed it a few feet in front of him. The bird looked at it but then returned its attention back to you. Chesed just laughed. "He likes you."  
"I don't  like him."  
"Well, I wouldn't piss him off. He can kill us both."  
"THEN WHY ARE WE EATING IN HERE!?"  
"He's pretty docile."   
"Chesed. You're crazy." You said, partially flustered and frustrated. He shrugged, his grin becoming more of a smirk. "How do you do this?"  
"You haven't even noticed that he's now perched on your leg." You screamed, making Chesed laugh as you seemed genuinely afraid of the small bird. The bird didn't budge, pecking at your sandwich as you held it. You tried to steady your breathing. "Relax. I get that he's dangerous but sometimes in this line of work you're going to have to trust me." Your breath was still ragged but you had fallen completely still, watching the bird peck at your food. You didn't even notice but you had cracked a smile.  
"He's kinda cute..."  
"So you trust me?" He asked, extending his hand towards the bird. It hopped on his finger almost instantly, jumping all over him and pecking a little. He didn't even flinch. You still felt scared, uncertain of what was going to happen now and if everything was going to be okay. You did, however, know that you weren't doing this alone and had someone with a lot more experience at your side.  
"Yes.." you finally breathed. "I trust you."


	3. Chapter 3

It was almost impossible to focus on filling out you report on the Punishing Bird in your new surroundings. Chesed's office was a dull blue and to no one's surprise there was a coffee maker on the counter and many mugs in the cabinet above. Many diplomas and awards lined the walls and his desk, while filled with paper work, also had a good amount of stress balls and toys meant for anxiety. Even as you filled out your paper work he had a small cube in his hand with various buttons and switches on it and in his other hand a coffee.  
"Where did you get all these toys?"  
"Gi- Netzach gave them to me." He admitted, "You used the wrong Abnormality ID number."  
"Shit," You marked through it with a single line, tapping your chin while you thought of the correct number. He was waiting for you to realize that it was already at the top of the paper. He went in for a sip of his coffee, not expecting you to speak. "So you and Giovanni are close?" He choked a bit, letting out a light cough and trying to compose himself.   
"Y-Yeah, We're friends. He's a nice guy. We aren't allowed to go by our names at work. That's for after work, out of the professional setting."  
"I think that's dumb." You admitted, jotting down the experience of being pecked mercilessly. "I Just think it makes things more complicated. "  
"Well, with the twins it does." Chesed admitted. "Even when you assume the mantle as manager we can't call you by your name.Hell, When you eventually take your father's place as CEO you'll be referred to as A."  
"What about right now?" You asked, making his let out a light gasp. "What do you call me right now then? While I'm neither of those things?" He just looked at you, putting his coffee and toy down on his desk. He bounced back quickly, clicking his tongue and thinking.   
"I guess I can use your name then."  
"Can I use yours?"  
"You are just trying to get me fired." He said with a chuckle, his eyes darting around his office. He didn't have proof or any sort of evidence but he had a feeling that Angela had his office tapped. He bit his lip, trying to plan his words carefully. The entire facility was probably tapped. "You can call me whatever you'd like. You're technically my boss....but I didn't give you any ideas."  
"Daniel it is then!" You said cheerfully, twiddling your pen in your hands. He felt his face heat up but wasn't aware that the blush was drastic or visible until you laughed at him. He turned away, picking his coffee back up.   
"Whatever floats your boat."

 

"That doesn't sound safe." Chesed said, narrowing his eyes at Gebura as she gave him the news. The redhead simply shrugged, sashaying from behind her desk and humming a bit. " Look, She had a tough time with the Punishment Bird."  
"Then this is sure to get her to take her future job more seriously. It'll build character."  
"Porccubus is dangerous to new employees. I'm not going to send her in there."  
"Look, I can Spare Porccubus or I can spare Nothing There." Gebura said sharply, slamming her hands on her desk. "So, Which one would you prefer?"  
"....There has to be another abnormality you can spare for my department. "  
"We've got our hooks in the others for serious testing all week. The only thing I can give you at the moment is one of those 2. So an ALEPH or a HE . Pick one." Chesed took in a deep breath, keeping his composure as best as he could. The harsh black and red or Gebura's office always put him on edge. He sucked on his teeth and tried to calm himself. He was stuck no matter what choice he made. You would be exposed to something very dangerous either way.  
"...I'll take Porccubus."  
"That's what I thought." She said smugly, not helping Chesed's mood. She dug in her desk, taking out a clasped file and throwing it onto her desk, gesturing for him to take it. "Get her to read it about 60 times tonight because tomorrow morning Porccubus will be in your department. Also, Hod wants to hand you over Der Freischütz if you can take him. He's causing hysteria among her team."  
"......I'm getting the impression everyone is trying to kill us both." He said playfully, tapping the folder in his hands nervously. "She's just met her first abnormality today. This woman is technically our boss. You want me to send her in-"  
"Then fucking go in alone. You've been doing this longer than her. Look, If it will make you act like less of a baby, put in a request for some E.G.O weapons and suits." He rolled his eyes. It could take days before his request is approved and it isn't a guarantee that he would be granted a suit that could properly protect you. Gebura didn't seem to understand the situation. You were bright eyed and ready to help. Of course if he asked you to hang back, you probably wouldn't. However, His hands were tied. He was going to have to do this job alone after all.  
"Thank you, Gebura. I'll get my proposal in right way." 

 

You walked into the empty barracks of the Welfare department, an air of sadness washing over you as you entered the stale room. The lights stalled a bit as they turned on and your steps echoed off the deep blue walls. There was nothing. The beds were empty, the shelves beside them empty and the foot lockers all open and empty. It was as if every trace of the old team had been thrown out the moment they died. You stopped in the dead center of the room, feeling overwhelmed by the memories that were surely made here.   
"Yeah, I know." You heard, making your quickly spin around towards the door. Chesed was leaning against the door frame, naturally having a coffee in his right hand. "It's pretty barren in there right now."  
"...Yeah."  
"You don't have to sleep here. It's...I've never seen it so empty in here." He chuckled nervously, forgetting his own train of thought upon looking at the dull room. The ghosts of the past moved around him as he imagined his team moving to and fro, getting ready for bed or preparing for work. His team. His friends. "You don't need to be in here."  
"It is a bit spooky." You admitted, "but-"  
"There's a couch in my office," He started, finally waving the folder he had been hiding at his side. You didn't even notice he was holding it. "We're getting a new abnormality tomorrow. We're cramming tonight and when we're done I'll sleep on the couch, you can take my bed."  
"Daniel-"  
"It's not negotiable." He said sternly, nodding head to the side as a motion for you to follow him. "Come on, this one is far more dangerous to handle."


	4. Chapter 4

"So It's thorns are what I have to be afraid of?"  
"Wary, I'd say." He answered from across his office, pouring himself his 6th cup of coffee for the study session. You leaned against the arm of the couch, flipping through the various eye witness accounts and statements of those who were fortunate enough to survive Porccubus. "Just keep a respectable distance and if you ARE ever stung by his thorn I will be there with you. I'll get you out of there."  
"...A lot of employees say the withdrawal is terrifying."  
"But survivable." Chesed added. "Your body may be put through trauma you never thought possible but it is possible to live through the detox." He mentally scolded himself after saying that, noticing how you clutched the edges of the file. He put his fresh cup down, joining you on the couch and putting a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "It's going to be okay," He started softly, "You'll survive this. You'll be a damn good manager."  
"I'm still scared."  
"It's okay to be scared." his hand moved to your other shoulder, pulling you into a hug. " This is terrifying work. People die every day. Just trust me when I say that I'll do everything I can to make sure you aren't one of them." He kind of just expected you to it there while he hugged you so he was nervous when you actually hugged him back. He held his breath, sure that his face gave away how uncomfortable he was with the sudden hug. He eased up enough to put both arms around you burying his face in the top of your head. "Nothing is going to happen to you on my watch, Y/N... Now come on," He broke away, standing up and straightening out his suit. "My room is right here, just off to the side of my office-"  
"I don't want to sleep in your bed. It's yours."  
"I don't have cooties." He laughed, "Just take the bed. I have some paperwork and requests to file anyway."  
"Well, what about after that?"  
"I'll probably knock out during it honestly." He admitted, "That's what usually happens."  
"Join me in bed-"  
"Whoa, Absolutely not." He quickly interrupted you, taking a few steps away and putting his hands up defensively. You fiddled with your fingers, a little embarrassed by the proposition you just made after seeing his reaction.  "You....are my future boss- but that aside you are my boss's boss's daughter. They would feed me to the singing machine for even lending you my bed, let alone joining you later."  
"S-Sorry I.. I didn't want to get you in trouble." You apologized, easing his fear a little bit. "We both have a lot of work to do in the department and I just wanted you to get some better rest than at your desk or on a couch... especially since you do a lot more work than me.. Mostly cause you're practically baby sitting me.... I'm just worried."   
"Y/N, I appreciate that, but If anyone found out we shared a bed I guarantee I'd never be seen again." He said, oddly lightly despite the dark implications. Almost as if he was certain that this would happen to him eventually. His eyes were darting almost unnaturally around the room and you couldn't help but look at him curiously. "....so um...I. You need to sleep too and if it concerns you so much.." His rambling came almost out of nowhere. In his mind he was piecing everything together. If you were worried about him all night and didn't sleep well, then it could potentially endanger you tomorrow with Porccubus. He didn't REALLY need to join you in bed. He just needed to tell you he would, sleep at his desk and claim he did and you were asleep when he came in. Having figured out his plan, he smirked. "Alright fine. If it will help you sleep. I'll join you when I finish my work."

 

 

He pressed entered lazily and the only sound in his office he could hear was the second hand on his desk clock ticking monotonously. His proposal for ALEPH suits seemed almost ludicrous but he managed to type together a very well thought out and cited essay on the importance of protecting you. Only time would tell if Angela agreed. He stretched out his back, cursing to himself after looking at the time on his clock. 2 in the morning. He wasn't going to get enough sleep. He only had 4 hours to get any kind of rest. He stood, popping his knuckles and shoulders as he walked to his room door to check on you. He could barely make out a bump in the bed, slowly rising and falling as you slept. He smiled, walking further in the dark room and looming over the bed. You were hugging a pillow tightly, your brow furrowed and your face almost worried. No doubt you were having a bad dream. Just seeing you put his mind at ease and made Chesed feel tired. You looked so cozy. So comfortable. He looked over his shoulder at the room door, bit his lip and started to sowly remove his jacket. Maybe he could join you for just a few hours.  
He was very careful as he got dressed for bed, not wanting to wake you. He slid beside you gently, laying his head down and immediately feeling a wave of relief. He can't remember the last time he slept in his own bed. So many late nights at his desk and early morning's where he woke up with a pen stuck to his face. He let out a sigh of pure ecstasy and suddenly you stirred, rolling over and without warming cuddling to his chest. He was sure you could hear his heart in your dreams because he could hear it pounding in his own ears. You were so close and so warm, your hands clutching onto him almost like you were afraid to let go. He kept his hands up in fear, his eyes trying to look around in the dark but he saw nothing. He heard nothing. There wasn't the sound of a cocked gun to his back or boots rushing down the halls to have him apprehended. He was in bed with you and you were clinging to him. That was it. Nothing else was happening. He relaxed, putting his hand on your sides, just above your hips, as he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

When he woke that morning it was almost as if there was no reason. No blaring alarm or knock at the door. For once, he woke up entirely on his own naturally. He sat up in bed, stretching his neck as he looked around the barely lit room. Until something cuddled up to his hip, he didn't even remember that you were there. He looked down at you, letting out a little yawn as he shook your shoulder. He whispered your name gently as your eyes opened and his smile was the first thing you noticed when you woke up... the second thing being that he didn't have a shirt on and you shot up in bed almost immediately. He couldn't help but laugh at you, which you didn't entirely appreciate.  
"This isn't what I was expecting to wake up to," You started nervously,  rubbing your face with one hand and gripping the blanket tightly with the other.  "Get dressed."  
"Well, Good morning to you, too." He said  his tone different than anything he used in the past. You were a little afraid to label it as flirty. "Yeah, It's time to get up. We have a big day today."  
"Ahem," You both gasped, unintentionally leaning against one another to hear an unfamiliar voice in the room. Chesed cursed to himself, looking to the door to see Yesod, standing their with his eyes closed and his arms crossed.  "...Am I interrupting?"  
"Of Course not," Chesed hopped out of  bed, walking over and ushering Yesod out of the room and into his adjacent office. He closed the door, leaning against it defensively and crossing his arms. "Now, How can I help you-"  
"Things like this are why people go 'missing', Daniel." Yesod, scolded in a harsh whisper. Chesed rolled his eyes, nervously tapping his his fingers on his arm.  
"Nothing happened."  
"I believe that. You're a very dedicated and professional Sephirah-"  
"Thank you-"  
"But do you think the current A is going to care-?"  
"You wouldn't tell-"  
"Relax." Yesod said, closing in and changing his tone quickly to something more calming. "I don't care for spreading useless news like this in a professional setting. This ends here. No one will hear anything from me...but I highly urge you to be more careful." Chesed just nodded, motioning for Yesod to continue.  
"Enough about this. What can I do for you?"  
"Nothing There is being moved to my department later today for study. To make room I need to briefly move The Silent Orchestra-"  
"My department isn't equipped to handle him in case of escape-"  
"I understand that...but you're the only one that can take him right now."  
"Yesod-"  
"Don't make me do this," He started, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We wouldn't want Angela finding out about this morning." Chesed scoffed,  walking a couple feet toward his desk and gritting his teeth. Yesod took no pleasure in that threat, rubbing his arm nervously.  
"....Are you Blackmailing me?"  
"I just need the Silent Orchestra out of my hair for a couple days." He clarified with a sigh. "I don't want to strong-arm you but I have to get rid of him."

 

You and Chesed left his office side by side. He let you hold the paper work to Porccubus but he failed to mention the other file that he was holding in his hands. It wasn't a simple clasped file folder like Porccubus. It was slightly larger with a lock on the front and a red spine. You kept eyeing it nervously and the Sephirah kept looking at you out of the corner of his eye.  
"What did Yesod want?" You finally asked, He answered quickly with an unassuming smile.  
"He's giving us an abnormality for a few days. Nothing serious."  
"..You say that... but that folder screams 'serious'."  
"I guess it does." He let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. He really regretted not getting a cup of coffee before he left his office. "I'll go in on this one alone. You don't have to worry about him."  
"Is he dangerous?" You asked, making him bite his lip. He didn't want you to offer our help. Not for this one. Not for an ALEPH. He shook his head, hoping you wouldn't press him for a verbal answer. You opened your mouth to speak but quickly shut it, fiddling with the folder you were holding.  
"Don't be worried." He finally said cheerfully, "I'm still going to Porccubus with you. Nothing to worry about." The rest of your walk was mostly just that. He continued to reassure you up until he put his ID up to the scanner.   
He didn't hesitate. He set his file on the ground outside the cell and went in first. You followed behind him quickly, gasping harshly at the long plant like snake that floated in the air. It hovered about the room, looking at you curiously with it's beady cute eyes. Many tendrils hung off it, like fins. There was a chain around it's neck, as if someone attempted to subdue it once.   
"um...Hello." You started, greeting the flower beast with a smile. It blinked at you a few times before attempting to swoop down and fly closer to you.  Chesed gasped, reaching in his coat and pulling out a white handgun, shooting the air between you and the creature. It startled you both, resulting in you both backing away from one another. The creature didn't seem to mind, floating away a good distance.  
"That's close enough. Stay away from her."  
"C-Chesed-"  
"We stayed up late for this. You don't touch it, you don't let it touch you. We don't have the time for either of us to be out of commission. Alright?" You just nodded, nervously backing up from the thing. It seemed to be minding it's own business anyway. "Now, Let us proceed with our insight work."

 

 

You left that containment room, a little content and very shaky, feeling like you were close to being mentally messed up. Chesed was grinning ear to ear, proud that you were able to avoid any kind of permanent damage.  
"Where did you get that gun?" You asked suddenly, throwing him off a bit, "The one you pulled out on Porccubus."  
"It's one in a set of twin pistols. My preferred E.G.O weapon. Made from The Funeral of Dead Butterflies... comes in handy. I put in a request last night to get you some things too. Hopefully they get approved." He explained, bending down to pick up his file that he left outside. You had almost forgot he left it here. He began to skim it, shaking his head a little.  "Anyway, you can head to my office or if you want to try doing some work on the punishing bird by yourself, you can do that. I have something i have to tend to first."  
"I'll wait in your office."  
"I'll be there in about 40 minutes." He said sweetly. You had already started down the hall walking backwards and as he looked up to you he gasped. Almost on cue you ran into some one and spun around quickly to greet them. The employee was wandering around, almost lifeless, mumbling to themselves. You didn't say a word, instead examining them. "...You Lost?" Chesed yelled to him, noticing his uniform was from the Information Team. Yesod's team. No answer. Chesed groaned, not wanting to deal with a wandering mentally damaged employee. The paperwork was always a nightmare. He turned to his watch, quickly dialing up Yesod.  
"Are you alright?" You asked slowly. The man stared at you. His eyes hadn't broken contact with yours for even a second. He garbled a response that made Chesed stop breathing.  
"M-Manag...er"


	6. Chapter 6

"Y/N," You backed up a little bit upon hearing the familiar clink of Chesed drawing his E.G.O weapon. "Step away from her." The employee reached out to touch you. His hands gently grabbed yours and you heard the Sephirah let out a harsh gasp. He fired, the bullet whizzing by your ear and making you recoil in pain. "Y/n!" The employee didn't let go, immediately yanking your arm and pulling you closer to him. Before you or Chesed could react the sound of boots stomping on the floor began to close in all around you. Chesed recognized this, grabbing you by the waist and using his free hand to put the barrel of his gun right in the employee's face. He fired twice and the employee exploded into a mass of flesh in bone, quickly reforming into an almost incomprehensible mess. Daniel's mouth fell open as he backed up, keeping a tight grip on you. The stomping closed in faster and as Chesed backed you both against a wall, armored suits that vaguely resembled rabbits flooded the halls. You instinctively clung to Chesed. The super soldiers filled the empty space, surrounding the mass of flesh and limbs and pointing guns directly in it's face. It panted, it's long tongue bouncing almost cutely. It just kept looking at you and Chesed. Mostly You.  
"Nothing There has been Located." One of the soldier started, "Proceeding with re-containment procedure."  
"Get those 2 out of here!" Another yelled, pointing directly at you both without looking away from the abnormality. You didn't even have time to react as Chesed and you were ushered further down the hallway. 2 seperate agents grabbed you by the shoulders and Chesed didn't voice it but he didn't like the way you were being pushed down the hall. You kept trying to look back at the thing. Mostly because you could hear it calling your name in Chesed's voice.

 

 

He didn't want to go that long without a coffee again. The Sephirah brought you a cup, too, joining you on the couch and trying to calm your nerves. You seemed shaken by the whole ordeal but were handling it considerably well considering you weren't trained to handle direct contact with an ALEPH before. He expected you to be an emotional and mental mess after such an encounter.  
"I want to see that creature again." You said quickly, making Chesed choke on his coffee. He slurped up what he could, cursing himself for the undignified display. " What was that-"  
"THAT was an incredibly dangerous ALEPH and you are lucky as hell that you didn't suffer any kind of permanent damage from that whole debacle."  
"Daniel-"  
"No." He interrupted, standing up and wiping off his suit. "Absolutely not. "  
"But I will eventually have to deal with ALEPH level abnormalities-"  
"Not today . Not Tomorrow. Not under my watch." He put his mug on the desk, taking in a deep breath. He admired your inquisitive nature. He really did. However, you were not ready to handle a face to face meeting with Nothing There quite yet and there was nothing that Chesed could do to prepare you. He was silent as he thought this over. There was absolutely no way you'd agree but he liked that little look of hope on your face as he was silent. You looked so eager to hear his answer. It was almost enough to change his mind. Not quite though. "No."  
"Why not..." You mumbled, saying it more of a statement than a question. You knew you couldn't fight him on this. What you knew of Nothing There was basically rumors, having never actually gotten hold of his file before. He knew you didn't actually want him to answer that.  
"If you want experience with an ALEPH there's only 2 I would trust you to meet." He said out of the blue. You seemed startled by that. He was expecting you to seem more excited but your fighting emotions on your face made him amused. "That's no time soon though. I'll wait until I can fill out my team more."  
"When you get your team, can I join?" He laughed in response. The idea of the future manager wanting to start in that kind of position. Your smile faltered at his laugh and for a moment he actually felt bad.  
"Oh-Please, tell me you're not serious."  
"I want to do more in the company while I'm technically not a manager yet-"  
"And I really do think it's admirable that you want a well rounded experience before taking that office, but if anything happens to you I could be in serious trouble."  
"I feel like all we're going to do is argue about my safety."  
"That's probably it, yeah." He admitted, leaning casually against his desk. "Admittedly, I'm very worried about you."  
"I guess I just... want to be apart of this. As Mangaer, I'd just be watching and managing from the comfort and safety of an office. I'd be sending people into danger without really knowing what I was sending them into.... I just want a well rounded perspective of that." He smiled. Genuinely smiled. He licked his lips slowly, trying his best to find the words to tell you no again. It was getting harder. You were so eager and your intentions were so pure. Before he could speak again there was a knock on his office door. Without a full second going by the door was kicked open, The brash redhead on the other side storming into the office. You clutched your mug in your hands and , sensing her intentions, Chesed put his own down on his desk.  
"What do you want Gebura-" He stopped, being picked up by the shirt collar violently. You flinched, lifting your feet up onto the couch. He seemed shocked but still in an odd state of calm.  
"Nothing There is saying her name." Gebura growled, gritting her teeth and staring directly into Chesed's eyes. If he did have any fear, his eyes did not betray him. He remained stoic in her grasp. "At what point did he come in contact with her-"  
"It was a brief exchange as we were leaving Porccubus's containment unit. I acted immediately and Rabbit Team showed up almost immediately. How long was Nothing There just roaming around?"  
"We don't know. We're still investigating. Yesod's fucking team didn't even notice that one of it's own members was acting different." Without warning she threw him down and if he hadn't caught the edge of his desk he wouldn't have remained standing. She immediately turned to you, leaning down and grabbing your chin firmly. She tilted your head, examining your ear. Chesed's blood ran cold as he remembered what had happened. "Her ear has taken black damage." You didn't say a thing. You even stopped breathing. She stepped back from you, looking back at Chesed. He couldn't hide his worry this time, crossing his arms and shifting foot to foot.  
"I fired a warning shot-"  
"She was hit-"  
"She was grazed. It would have been a lot worse if I never fired that shot." He defended, closing his eyes and trying to remain distant. Gebura was fuming. You just cowered into the couch, your eyes shifting between the two sephira. Gebura shook her head, waving off the comment.  
"Fine, You believe that. Meanwhile, I've got a shit load of paperwork to do and I'm not leaving that out of my report. Her father will see it."


	7. Chapter 7

You waited patiently outside of your father’s office. You popped in briefly to show him your ear, darkened and cracked from black damage. It would heal. You then gave the men the room, Chesed remained perfectly calm and prepared to tell your father what happened. He deemed his odds were better if he was open and told him personally. Man to man. You were afraid but Chesed walked out of those fancy double doors minutes later, rather content with himself. As they closed you walked up to him, completely at a loss for words. He just smiled, petting your head.  
“Hey, didn’t keep you waiting too long? Did I?”  
“What happened?”  
“Just a little talk. I told him how you got injured and for an added honesty bonus I came clean that we shared a bed.” He noticed your recoil and couldn’t help but chuckle, urging you to follow him as you both walked back to his department. “Yeah, that was an awkward talk but I wanted to be completely honest with him.”  
“Oh goodness what did he say?”  
“Well, he said he would have chopped the hands off anyone else but because of my initiative he’ll let the bed thing go. As long as it never progresses past that point. He’s not happy about it but... he appreciates that he’s aware. Let’s forget about that. I have to get back to my department and deal with an abnormality before it gets a little testy. I want you to come with me.”

 

You froze seeing the label above the door and posted warning to both the left and right of it. Chesed didn’t speak. He just stood in front of the door, taking in deep breaths and mentally preparing.  
“Y/n.... don’t be scared.”  
“.... that says Aleph...”  
“...I know...” He reached out to you, taking your hand gently and guiding you with him. He opened the door slowly, practically dragging you in the chilled room with him. You shivered, gasping to see the mostly empty room and a single entity on the clear other side of it. It’s over half looked like a stand for a mannequin. The top was a person? The cage shape of a person made of musical icons? You weren’t entirely sure what you were liking at... but you did notice disembodied hands, floating about and conducting an invisible band... dare you say, a Silent Orchestra. Chesed let go of your hand and you immediately cowered behind him. An echoey laugh escaping the black lips of the creature that stood before you both. Chesed smiled at it.  
“Forgive us for disturbing your peace, conductor.” He started, his voice quiet. “I am hoping to gain some insight from you.” As Chesed walked closer you had no choice but to follow. You could hear your heart pounding in your ears and the abnormality eyed you curiously, despite Chesed’s niceties. As he spoke, a closed hand approached you, making you squeal a bit. Chesed looked over his shoulder curiously, in time to see the hand unfurl and reveal a dainty black monocle. You just stared at it blankly.   
“..Wh-“  
“Y/n, put it on, now.” Chesed said sternly. Slightly panicked. “It’s not wise to deny an EGO gift from an ALEPH...” you grabbed it quickly after that, putting it over your left eye and thanking the little hand. It retreated and Chesed let out a nervous breath. That was close. 

 

You left the cell feeling very different, wearing your monocle and tapping at it every so often. Chesed just laughed at you, sporting a matching monocle by the end of the session.  
“You did good in there with your first ALEPH. He’s a fairly simple one. Him and the Army in Black.”  
“So... do I have to wear this monocle forever?”  
“Nah,” he admitted, “you can put it with you’re stuff later. We do encourage employees to keep and wear their gifts, as it builds a rapport with the abnormalities. Just remember to put it back on if you ever visit him again. Otherwise he may feel insulted.”  
“Oh.” You said dumbly, removing the dainty glass and examining it in your hand. You had already smudged the glass, making it a tad dirty. It’s black frame was simple and elegant.  
“Daniel?”  
“Hm?”  
“Do you have a lot of EGO gifts?”  
“I have a trunk full in my room. You’re more than welcome to browse them when we get back to my office.” He offered. You thought about it, tapping the glass of your monocle nervously.   
“What kind of stuff do you get?”  
“Hm, let me think,” the Sephirah started, scratching his chin, “Der Freischütz likes me to smoke with him sometimes, so he gave me a pipe. Shy look today once gave me a face mask with a smile.... what else, what else...oh right, I got eyes in my cheek-“  
“You grew eyes on your cheek!?” You panicked, hoping entirely that you heard that wrong. He shrugged, a little amused with your reaction.   
“Grew is the wrong word. Nothing there offered me some eyes. So I took them and protocol state you must wear abnormality gifts. So while I was trying to figure out what to do with them- this story may be a bit intense now that I think about it.” He stopped himself, nervously looking off to the side.  
“No, tell me, tell me!”  
“I... well... if Nothing there likes you.. he will.. um... implant the eyes in your cheeks.  
“... he’ll what- ?”  
“He will cut slits in your face and slide the eyes in there....” He admitted, “look, some E.g.o gifts are... not great but you aren’t allowed to deny them. The skin remarkable will heal around the eyes quickly... I had to get those things removed quick... luckily, very few people have ever gotten that ‘gift’..” You we’re so engrossed by the gifts that you had just realized you were closing in on his office. He opened the door, urging you to go in first. You did and promptly stopped in the doorway. He didn’t understand. He looked over your shoulder, the world around him stopping as he saw it. The Silent Orchestra was waiting in his office.


	8. Chapter 8

Though nothing was there, the conductors wand made a clear tapping sound as if a metal music stand was present. Chesed acted quickly, pulling you out of the room and closing the door. He dial on his watch, immediately screaming in an order to call all Sephirot. You just stared the the door, some light sounds of singing seeping from behind it. As all the Sephirah slowly answered the call, angry and annoyed voices came through on Cheseds watch.  
"There better be a good reason for this, Chesed." Tiphereth complained, her voice irritating you a bit.  
"I need some help down here, Silent Orchestra has escaped."  
"Shit," you heard Gebura start, "stop him before he finishes his piece! He'll drain the power!"  
"We're looking at a site wide breach if he finishes his piece, I'm sending my team now " Binah cut in.  
"Understood. Record team will be sent at once." Hokma said swiftly.  
"Disciplinary Team is in the way." Gebura barked. One by one the Sephirah announced their intentions to send help. Before Chesed could even breath a thank you the loud boom of music rattled his office door. The shaking cause you and Chesed to fall against one another and the hallways light flickered with a sinister flash. He immediately covered your ears, dragging you both to the hallways wall where he held tightly into your ears, his own ringing violently in response to the intense sound. A headache began to creep up the back of your skull, vibrating the back of your head.  
"Hang in there, Their closing in on our location." Chesed yelled through the music, his face growing terrified as the second movement started.Picking you and beginning to run you down the hall and out of the welfare department, he passed by several members of various teams. They were armed to the teeth with EGO weapons, hopefully prepared to take on an ALEPH.

Chesed didn't know where was a good place to stop. The music was faint but he could still hear it and it was now on the third movement. Soon the power would be drained and various mechanisms that kept abnormalities contained would fail. Your safety was paramount. However, he couldn't carry you all day. He put you down, clearly out of breath from running halfway across the facility. The gilded and golden hallways told you everything you needed to know. You were in The Central Control Department. Tiphereth Territory.  
"This is bad," he finally said, clearly out of breath. You shuffled foot to foot, too nervous to ask what has him so concerned. "I need to get you to your fathers office. You'll be safe there-"  
"What's about to happen."  
"Bad things." He said, almost lamely, "very bad things. If the power fails, Big bird is probably going to escape. The shielding method for [CENSORED] will probably go down- Gods help us if the Plague Doctor gets his final apostle."  
"....How did you make that bleeping noise with your mouth-?"  
"There's no time." He choked, pointing down the hall, "run for your fathers office-" the power flickered as the third movement moved into full swing, screams of terror echoing from down the hall. ".... You won't make it. Dammit, you won't make it."  
"What do we do?" He didn't look at you, his head whipping in all directions and trying to think of a solution. He had too many possible idea running through his head at once and he started to feel slightly overwhelmed. Normally, he'd have thought of an implemented a solution already. However , You were a very dangerous variable. His own death would be inconsequential but if anything happened to you it spiraled down a path of unfathomable consequences. For the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to do.  
The sudden rise of music reminded him that time was of the essence. The concert was near its end. The power would drain. He needed to get you out of here. Someplace safer than the hallway. He dialed on his watch, trying desperately to calm himself.  
"Yesod. Does your department have Der Freischütz?"  
"Already ahead of you." Yesod responded. "The bullets have been fired and we even sent Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary. Though, The Silent Orchestra is too far into the concerto to be stopped."  
"So Red's cell is empty right now?" Chesed said, oddly ecstatic. Yesod was puzzled.  
"...Yes?"  
"I'm leaving Y/n in her cell."  
"That is incredibly dangerous. If the abnormality returns and she isn't prepared she could take a lot of damage to her psyche."  
"I don't have a choice."

You didn't expect to be pushed in and the door to be emergency locked behind you. As you stood the entire facility powered down with a whirring sound. You looked out of the small window on the door, Chesed looking to you almost apologetically.   
"All emergency locks deployed on containment units." He reported to his watch. "How many escapes do we have?"  
"The black swan is fucking my team sideways." Gebura reported. " already counting 3 casualties."  
"Security Team is Down. I'm out of agents." Netzach reported. "King Of Greed is destroying the damn hallways."  
"Nothing There remains contained," Yesod answered, "Alruine is out-"  
"Of course Alruine is out." Tiphereth complained. "You could make a bagel wrong and that ugly thing escapes!"  
"How do you make a bagel wrong?"  
"Netzach, focus." Chesed said, smiling weakly at the conversation. "You have the backwards clock, was it wound today?"  
"Used it twice."  
"It needs 2 more uses and we can set everything back." Gebura said confidently. "Get some people on that."  
"I can't. Dead. Remember?"  
"Don't be a smartass Netzach!"   
"I'm headed there myself." Chesed said. You just kept looking at him through the glass, your eyes making him a bit embarrassed.  
"The last person to wind the clock die." Binah warned. "Let an employee take the 'heroic sacrifice'. Not worth it for a Sephirah."  
"I'm sending 2 of my own to the backwards clock now." Malkuth said quickly. "Keep the CEOs daughter safe. We can handle this."


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't think I'm okay with letting people die." You said simply, your voice echoing in the empty containment cell. Chesed was sitting beside you, both of you leaning defeated against the wall as carnage ensued throughout the facility. "I don't want to sit behind a fancy desk while people risk their lives."  
"I used to feel that way too." He admitted. "I know that there are some... aspects of the job that you just can't accept."  
"How can the Sefirot send people to die-"  
"The manager sends people to die." Chesed clarified. "We suit them up, train them and send them in with the tools they need to survive. We do what we can to prevent deaths- Well, except Gebura. I'd never send anyone to their death if it was a certainty..." You just kept looking at him, having a hard time figuring out what to say. Through the door you could occasionally hear faint screams. Chesed looked worried, staring down at the ground. "You know," he spoke suddenly, "there was a time where I wanted to do it all... take on the world... protect everyone. With you I have no choice. I have to protect you. It's my job at this point. I want so badly to protect everyone. You learn that you can't. I guess that's why I'm so protective of you... I can control what happens to you.. because unlike my employees, I'm doing this work with you. It's dangerous work. Work that I've, before I met you, never really done before. Experiencing these last few days with you has just made me more... I now know the last thing many people saw before they died... and for me to stare those things in the face was a far cry from reading files in the safety of my office. I don't want to let anything happen to you.. if I lost you, I'd never forgive myself." You just listened, putting a hand on his shoulder to show some kind of support. You were speechless, feeling awful for not saying anything. He didn't mind. He just kept staring at the ground. The pause made the room seem ever expanding, making you feel so small and lost in it. You shuddered and finally Chesed looked at you.   
"Are you alright?" You asked slowly. He cracked a smile, nodding once.   
"I'm better. We're safe in here but we're also going to be in here a while. Let's try and make the most of it."

Neither of you had too much on you both did still have the monocles that the Silent Orchestra gave you. You popped the glass out of the sockets, sitting on opposite sides of the room and trying to roll them to one another. You were getting the hang of it, able to make your roll all the way to him. He was more interested in flicking his glass so that it would spin in place, a glare racing around the room as a result. He rolled your glass back to you, chucking a bit.   
"You'll have more fun spinning it."  
"I like the challenge of rolling it," you admitted, letting your glass hit the wall. The clink was surprisingly pleasant. Chesed picked up his spinning piece, waking over to your side of the room and sitting right across from you. You were glad to have him close, a bit of a blush tainting your cheeks.   
"You don't know how to make it spin? Do you?"  
"I do."  
"Really?"  
"Yes." You said confidently, picking up your glass and positioning yourself to flick it. You launched it from your finger and much to your dismay it fell flat to the floor with a loud ring. Chesed held in a laugh, puffing up his cheeks a bit. "That is not what I meant to do-"  
"Do you need help?" He launched his own, then immediately reached for your piece only to catch your finger tips as you picked it up. You both pulled your hands back, laughing nervously before going to pick it up again. He reached it first, picking it up and flicking it. It spun, dangerously close to his own. "There."  
"Y-Yeah. I can do that you know."  
"Mhm. Sure." He said with a smirk. "It's fine. It's not like its a useful skill. It's like spinning a coin."  
"Yeah, but I can do it myself." You laughed. You continued your little argument, laughing too much for it to be taken seriously. The glass pieces drew closer, as did their owners, dangerously close to clashing. You never noticed how bright Chesed's eyes were. He never noticed how adorable your laugh was. You both stopped and looked at one another and everything just paused as the pieced of glass clacked into each other, noisily falling to the cell floor. You just kept looking at one another. The room got silent.   
"...Y/N-"  
"Daniel-"  
"I-"  
"Chesed!" You both panicked, Yesod's voice booming through Chesed's watch. He stood up quickly, walking a good foot away from you before answering the call.   
"What's going on?"  
"The breach has been contained."  
"Oh." He said simply. He almost seemed disappointed. "Alright, Thanks for letting us know."  
"You should start heading back to your department, Red is returning to her cell."


	10. Chapter 10

Netzach wasn't expecting a knock at the door but his visitor was more than welcome to come in. Chesed entered slowly, immediately chuckling to see Netzach had ditched his tie completely and was leaning back precariously in his fancy desk chair.  
"Danny!" He greeted warmly, waving excitedly almost.  
"Enkephalins? Well, that's normal actually.. It's the 'Happy Drunk' That's confusing me." Chesed admitted. "You'd normally be beating yourself up right about now."  
"Eh, I was. Everyone in my department died, I'm going to have my abnormalities moved in the mean time... Silver lining though Danny boy, I've been assigned to you."  
"...Wait what?"  
"I know right!" Netzach said, his smile now obviously fake. "I fucked up so much as a Sephirah that I've got to do what you and Y/N are doing until they fill my teams positions. I mean, I heard they hired a lot of people for you and they're with Hod right now, training and all that... What was I saying?"  
"You're going to be joining me and Y/N." Chesed reminded him. "That's great. Could use another pair of hands."  
"Eh, I don't know how much use I'll be. I'm a sephirah, I don't normally handle these things head on-"  
"Hey, Neither did I," Chesed reminded him, walking over and sitting on the edge of his friends desk. "It's difficult, probably one of the toughest work weeks I've ever had, but manageable."  
"Well, I'll try and not get in the way of you and your lady." Netzach said, immediately scaring Chesed upright. He got a harsh pink blush on his face and couldn't even find the words to deny that statement. Netzach raised a brow, putting his drink down and trying to catch Chesed's eyes, to no avail. "Uh... Dude, that was a joke-"  
"AH, Right, Sorry. That makes sense. I- I don't know I just-"  
"...Daniel do you... Do you like her?" Netzach started full of concern but couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. Chesed didn't answer, instead pursing his lips. "ooooooooh-"  
"Shut Up, Giovanni-"  
"You liiiiiike her-"  
"Please don't say that." He breathed, kicking off his desk and trying to walk away from his drunk friend. Netzach followed behind him, drunkenly stumbling and mocking the Sephirah. "I can't."  
"I mean, She's pretty cute- could be worse... could be Gebura-"  
"Ugh, Never say that again."  
"I'm serioooooous. Dude, You should see where this goes-"  
"I don't like her-"  
"I can see it on your face. You're lying-"  
"And you're drunk."  
"Yeah but in a couple hours I'll be sober but you'll still be lying." Netzach pulled his friend closer, leaning against him and trying his damnedest to get the truth out of him. Daniel just rolled his eyes, regretting stopping by and hoping that Netzach would forget everything soon. "I mean... If you're worried about her dad being pissed just rip off the bandaid."  
"You're killing me."  
"I mean, You aren't fucking her-"  
"That's quite enough out of you-"  
"No No, hear me out- I... Think it's GREAT...that you're getting out there-"  
"We aren't dating-"  
"I know I know...but.... like... You could."  
"Look if we're going to talk this over....." Chesed started, walking over to the counter in Netzachs office. It had a mini fridge filled with various alcohol and anything that would give the guy a buzz. Next to it was a small coffee maker. Netzach barely used it but Chesed used it any time he visited. That was the only reason Giovanni never got rid of it. "....At least Irish my coffee."

 

 

You waited in Chesed's office, reading through files of abnormalities. Angela stopped by announcing that several abnormalities from Netzach's department would be put into Welfare Department. You were a little nervous about a couple of them but it seemed doable. So long as you had Chesed.   
You felt a little weird sitting in his chair. It was almost as if you were sitting in his lap- you had to stop that train of thought right in it's damn tracks. You couldn't help but remember the cell and how close you both were sitting. How close you both were getting.  
Your thoughts were violently disturbed as the door to Chesed's office slammed open. You stood, expecting to see an angry Gebura. No. It was Chesed. He was giggling a bit at your reaction. He was walking very slowly, rubbing the side of his head.  
"Didn't think you'd still be awake." He said, walking over and looking down at all the work on his desk. "Burning the midnight oil?"  
"You....Have you been drinking?" You asked. You wanted to step back away from him but he put his arm around you, hanging it lazily over your shoulder.   
"A little." He slurred, "Talking to Netzach."  
"....Nice... You should go to bed-"  
"Only if you join me, beautiful." You took in a deep breath and just froze. Your mouth hung open, incredibly surprised by the sudden behavior. He just kept giving you a sweet soft smile.  
"..I...Yeah of course-" You panicked as he suddenly picked you up, walking towards his room and laughing at your sudden alarm.  
"No need to be so nervous- I'm just really fucking tired... Let's just get to bed. You me and Netzach have a big day tomorrow."


	11. Chapter 11

He woke up with a crashing headache, keeping his eyes closed tight in n attempt to alleviate the painful pulsing in his forehead. He groaned, scratching the top of his head. Suddenly he felt a gentle nudge at his side. He opened his eyes, surprised to look down and see you leaning on him cutely.  
"...Morning...Head hurts?"  
"...How'd I get to my room?"  
"You walked in." You said simply. "And you carried me with you-."  
"Ugh, Please tell me you're joking." He laughed weakly. "This is why I don't drink with Netzach."  
"Yeah," You said agreed nervously, avoiding eye contact. He wasn't trying too hard to look you in the eyes either, obviously embarrassed. "...Are you feeling alright?"  
"Not enough to deal with Netzach...Oh god I forgot about Netzach." He lamented, burying his face in his hands. "Netzach's going to be joining us until his department is back in order. Alright?"  
"You don't sound happy about that."  
"Not particularly, No. Netzach and I get along but we're a combination that doesn't exactly get a lot of work done." As he explained he heard a knock further out of the room at his office door. He motioned for you to get dressed, putting on and buttoning up his own shirt as he headed for the door. You seemed civil enough, so he didn't think too much happened when he came in last night drunk.  
When he opened the door, Netzach opened his mouth to say hi but quickly closed it, noticing Chesed buttoning his shirt.  
"...What were you two doing in there...?"  
"Sleeping."  
"Hot-"  
"Giovanni," Chesed whispered sternly, "If we're going to be working together you can't bring up last night."  
"Don't worry. I won't compromise your relationship-"  
"We are not together."  
"Dude, You spilled your fucking soul last night." Netzach gently reminded him, taking a step into the office and nudging Chesed knowingly, "and I agree... She'd look hot sprawled across your desk-"  
"God, I was wasted-"  
"Hi Netzach." They both turned to see you leaving Chesed's room and Giovanni gave you a smug smirk. You were a little flustered  at the implication. "um...Morning?"  
"Did he go easy on you last night-"  
"Can I talk to you outside?" Chesed asked quickly, yanking Netzach out of his office. You look at the door quizzically as it slammed closed.

 

The punishing bird flew around the room happily as you and Chesed took notes on it's behavior. Netzach interacted with the bird, mostly just poking it. Chesed was mostly standing by you, often catching Netzach glancing over at you both. The Sephirah was embarrassed, trying to avoid his friends gaze.  
"So, He's responding well to- Chesed are you okay?" You said sweetly, He looked back at you with a noticeable blush and you giggled at him, not helping the situation.  
"W-What's wrong-"  
"Your face."  
"Well, that's not nice." He joked, composing himself quickly. "So, mark off that Netzach successfully completed-"  
"Are you alright?" You asked again quickly  
, It caught him off guard. He quickly shook it off, scooting a little closer to you and trying to make it so Giovanni couldn't hear.  
"...To be honest I was pretty wasted last night... I was wondering if there was anything I did or said that may have been... Inappropriate." You bit your lip nervously, glancing over at Netzach every so often.  
"Well... You were very.... Handsy, once we got to bed-"  
"Oh god-"  
"You kept whispering to me."  
"I am so sorry-"  
"You kept calling me Beautiful."  
"I am so-I mean it's true but I'm still sorry- I can't believe I got that drunk." Chesed didn't notice the punishing bird as he lamented, the bird landing peacefully on his head. You held back a laugh with a big smile and Chesed just froze. It took him a minute to figure out why you were laughing, feeling the little talons bounce about on his head. ".... Buddy, I'm trying to apologize. Can we do this later?" He winced at the bird pecked his head, cursing the tiny thing as it flew off and landed on Netzachs finger.  
"Sorry if our job is disrupting your makeout session." Netzach joked, "Bird needs to eat."  
"Right, Right.. Y/N, Go get something for him."

"Alright, next is a quick check in with the Silent Orchestra and we'll be done for a few hours."  Chesed said happily, you and Netzach following behind him excitedly. Chesed was worried of you both spending time together, lagging just far enough behind him so that he wouldn't be able to hear a whisper. Netzach didn't seem like he was trying to talk to you but Chesed still didn't like that smirk.   
"You keep looking back at us." Netzach said with a smirk. "I'm not gonna kidnap her-"  
"I'm just not used to people walking behind me is all... you guys can walk with me you know?"  
"Hmmm nah, I like hanging back here with my new friend." He said, slinging his arm over your shoulder. Chesed took on a harsh breath, immediately pursing his lips. " She's a sweetie."  
"Maybe don't put your hands on her." Chesed growled, Netzach smiled wide, seeing his friend uncharacteristically losing his cool.  
"Relax. I won't bite. Even if she asks-"  
"Netzach, stop."  
"Is everything okay?" You asked nervously, switching your gaze between both men. Chesed had stopped walking, fully turning around to confront Netzach. "...Guys?"  
"Why are you doing this-"  
"Lighten up. You used to be used to my humor. What changed?"  
"This isn't the time-"  
"Come on, you're being too sensitive, I'm joking-"  
"No, this isn't a joke. Giovanni, I'm asking you to stop." He said firmly, making Netzach just stiffen. He stared blankly, almost hurt that Chesed used his name at him. Chesed's anger seemed to drop and remorse washed over his face. He moved to say something but a harsh blaring boomed from both men's watches. Netzach muted his and Chesed answered his, Hokma's commanding voice booming through with urgency.  
"- DOCTOR- I REPEAT, A CLERK HAS ENTERED THE CONTAINMENT UNIT OF THE PLAGUE DOCTOR."  
".... Oh shit."


	12. Chapter 12

The sounds of a holy chorus made the very ground quake. Netzach and Chesed looked to one another, unsure what to even make their next move. Netzach grabbed you, pulling you close. Too close for Chesed's liking but now wasn't the time. You 3 ducked into a nearby doorway, hearing the sickening crack of bones and the clack of talons on the metal flooring. The steps scraped eeriest against the floor and now both men held onto you as if life depended on it. You wiggled uncomfortably in their grip, desperate to peek out of the alcove of the doorway and see what you were hiding from. You lunged forward, peeking around the corner and catching a glimpse of the creature responsible.  
It let out a terrifying shriek as it walked past the hallway, it's stride long and it's bones popping with the movement of every joint. It had long wild blue hair, and its head swayed as it walked . The scythe in its hands was soaked, blood dripping from the jagged blade and little bits of viscera stuck in chipped parts of the metal.   
Chesed immediately grabbed your hair, pulling you back into his chest and putting his hand over your mouth. You waited for the sound to fade away. 

 

The sounds of screams and sirens echoed in in the halls. You 3 walked in silence, Chesed holding your hand tightly and listening carefully for the sounds of footsteps. Netzach kept looking behind you all. Also listening intently. Both men were so serious that you decided to just be quiet. You took a mental note of all your questions.   
Chesed was determined to get to his office. It wasn't much protection but at least he could hide you behind 2 locked doors. He lightly smiled hearing the familiar sounds of stampeding boots. Rabbit Team has been deployed. Now all he needed to do was get you to a secured location.   
As he took the next left all 3 of you stopped in your tracks, running into one another and freezing as another lanky skeletal angel stood looking right at you 3. Chesed's heart sunk and the creature raised the crucifix-like staff in its hands with intent to stab.   
The blue haired man tackled you out of the way, the staff catching his ankle and piercing all the way through. Netzach panicked and reached for his gun, only to hear Chesed plead otherwise.  
"Netzach! Get Her to My Office!"  
"Chesed!" You tried to reach for him but Netzach pulled you, dragging you away down the hall in the opposite direction. The flaky and feathery creature pulled its stick gruesomely from Chesed's ankle, the Sephirah biting his lip hard and trying to crawl away backward. He looked behind him, no longer seeing you and Netzach, He closed his eyes awaiting for the creature to finish him off.  
He opened his eyes to see the staff coming down and winced. As the creature drew the staff back it was met with sudden resistance. As if something was holding it. Chesed saw her of course and smirked, taking the confusion to crawl away, pain radiating up his entire leg.   
The creature looked behind it with a growl, spotting a nice red hood and a face with terrifying sharp teeth. Though, the first thing it noticed was the gun in its face.  
"There's a price on your head." She whispered harshly. Chesed heard 3 shots fire off and the sounds of a struggle as he, safety tucked in a door alcove, pulled himself to his feet.  
"Little red riding hooded mercenary." He breathed, trying to ignore his pain. "I owe that girl my life..."

 

You and Netzach made it to The same corridor that Chesed's office was in. You held back emotions and The lazy Sephirah seemed more determined than ever, a gun in hand as he checked every angle before even letting you walk a step. You ran for the office, bursting through the door with Netzach close behind you. You gasped, seeing Chesed standing in the middle of his office, standing around and inspecting it. You felt limp.  
"... Chesed?" You said, that dark foreboding feeing lifting off your chest to see him safe. He turned slowly, looking at you curious and Netzach raised a brow.  
"Y/n?" Chesed said slowly. Netzach walked off to the side, almost circling Chesed as he approached you. Without warning you hugged him and Chesed seemed to freeze but he hugged you back with the same kind of force. Netzach clicked his tongue.  
"Daniel?" He called. Chesed didn't even look in his direction.   
"Y/n...." Chesed said, cupping your face in his hands. You felt overwhelmed, tears finally spilling over. "Y/n."  
"Chesed I was so worried when we left you back there."  
"Y/n" He said again, hugging you once more.  
"Your leg healed pretty quickly, Danny boy." Netzach said darkly, looking at his friend from head to toe. You hadn't even thought of it. You looked up In Chesed's eyes, unable to read his emotions. That was normal for Chesed usually but this seemed more...empty.  
"...Chesed, does your leg hurt still?"  
"....Y/n?" Suddenly Netzach pointed his gun, the barrel right against the side of Chesed's head. He didn't move. He didn't react in any way. Netzach was taking in deep and shaky breathes , urging you with his free hand to come to him.   
"Get away from him, Y/n.."  
"But Chesed-"  
"That's not Chesed." He narrowed his eyes, the chesed in front of him finally turning its head to face him. "Not the one I know." Netzach's gun shook in his hands. You tried to step away but Chesed grabbed your wrists, saying your name sweetly. He wasn't looking at you though. He was still looking at Netzach.   
"..Chesed?"  
"Y/n...." without warning Netzach fired, Chesed's head exploding into a mass of blood and bone that's plopped to the ground and reformed as a mass of eyes and limbs. You shrieked harshly, recognizing Nothing There. It cocked its head to the side, looking at you and panting like a puppy. It said your name once more before cocooning itself in a large egg of flesh and eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck ." Netzach sprinted out of Chesed's office, holding you in his arms as he cursed down the hall. He came to a fork in the hallway and stopped, backing up hearing one of the feathery apostle's approaching. You held his shoulder tightly. He gasped, remembering that it wasn't just his life on the line here. He went left, running down the hall as fast as he could while holding you. The echoing horrid sound made him afraid to turn back.  
You looked behind him as he ran, the sounds of a chorus growing but you couldn't tell what direction it was coming from. You leaned of Netzach shoulder as he ran and you could of sworn he let out little chuckle.   
"I hear singing."  
"Yeah, I thi- Oh god...." He said suddenly, his jog slowing to a walk. You turned around in his arms and Netzach took a moment to put you down. You dusted yourself off, looking forward to the main hall of the Welfare department. The deep blue cave-like atmosphere was calming, yet eerily empty. You looked up, seeing the cave go up for seemingly miles, and the stalagmites of the pathway above glittering in the dark. You looked back down the hall behind you both, seeing if you were being followed or not.   
"Which way do we go?" You asked, breaking down to a whisper halfway through once you heard your voice echo in the main hall. Netzach grabbed your hand, walking you briskly to the other side of the room.   
"This way." He started harshly. "If we make it to Gebura's department she can protect you."  
"I'm not leaving without Chesed-"  
"Chesed is not important." He whispered harshly, his grip on your hand becoming too much. You winced, making Netzach feel a twinge of guilt. "I'll find him...Okay? I'll find him. Your safety is paramount though. If he is alive and anything happens to you, the company will make him WISH he died."  
"MaNAgEr." A garbled voice erupted from behind you both with a sinister inflection. The slapping sound of meaty footsteps echoed through the cave. Behind it, Nothing There dragged it's mace like hand on the ground, the spikes scratching the metal. Intestines spilled and hung lazily from the gaping hole in it's stomach and it's maw was stuck open by long teeth. Netzach pushed you behind him, unholstering his gun and shakily aiming it at the near invincible creature.  
"Run, Y/N." He whispered. You stared up at Nothing there as it wobbled towards you and Netzach occasionally peeked back at you, wondering why you weren't moving. "Y/N, Just keep running-"  
"Y/N." Nothing There barked, basically towering over you both. Netzach backed up, forcing you a little more towards where he wanted you to run. You still didn't move. All of Nothing There's eyes were focused on you.  
You were just staring at one another. The abnormality was still. Just staring. Netzach's heart was in his throat and he was terrified of what the creature might do.  
"...Is it supposed to be doing that?" You quietly. Netzach shook his head, almost in disbelief.   
"...I think we're both dead-" A shrill and taunting whistle caught the beast's attention, you and Netzach looked to the open corridor with a mix of relief and disbelief. He couldn't stand very well but the blue haired Sephirah was leaning coolly against the wall, supporting himself with the scythe you had seen one of those white creatures carrying before. His pants leg was dark, soaked with blood where he had been stabbed earlier.  
"Chesed!" You stepped forward once with intent to run to him and Nothing there immediately let out a deep groan, making his way toward Chesed. His mace hand turning to a dull blade with many eyes. Chesed stared the creature down, taking his fist and tapping the wall twice.  
"You'll never guess who I ran into on the way here."  
It happened in seconds, a blur of red charging out of hallway and tackling the ALEPH to the ground. A heel was dug promptly in it's chest and a staff was stabbed into the throat of the beast. The staff was an immaculate white, wings coming off the side and a serpent wrapping around it. The wielder flipped her long red hair over her shoulder, glaring down at the creature with pure malice. You had never been so happy to see Gebura.  
" Miss me, you ugly fuck?"  
Nothing there swiped his blade and skillfully the redhead rolled off him, letting him stand before she charged him again. You ran past the fight going to Chesed and hugging him almost knocking him to the ground. You sniffled, Chesed instinctively hugging and shushing you. You took in a deep breath, but it seemed like that was ll you could do.   
"Deep breaths, it's okay.... I saw him leaving my office... I assumed the worst."  
"When We left you there I was so scared."  
"I didn't know what to do, I searched my office, I saw no trace of you or Netzach."  
"I didn't know if you were alive."  
"I was so worried." You continued to fall against him, letting out your worries to one another.

 

Gebura dodged the mace , ducking and stabbing at the creature's ankles. Netzach was firing off shots from a safe distance. She swept her foot at it's damaged ankles, knocking the ALEPH to the ground. Taking the moment she grabbed the wrist of it's weapon hand, breaking the bone with a quick snap and using her knee to keep it down. Rabbit team closed in from both sides and Gebura smirked, seeing work being done well for once. Boots stomping on the ALEPH and the proper restraints and weapons weakening one of the most dangerous of creatures put Gebura and Netzach at ease. They looked at one another, sharing a high five for a job well done and letting out a deep sigh.  
Netzach didn't recall ever bonding with Gebura, but it was pretty nice. Much better than when she usually tells him that he's shit at his job. He looked over to where Chesed was standing, his jubilation gone.   
"....Oh shit.."  
"....Fuck's wrong with you?" The red head looked at him curiously before turning to check for herself....and seeing that you and Chesed had locked lips.


	14. Chapter 14

"I entered my office approximately 10 minutes later, having slinked away after encountering Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary." Chesed explained, stonefaced as his account of the breach was being recorded by a clerk. "When I arrived I saw Nothing There in its third form, leaving my office. I hung back until it was far enough away and using the scythe I took I hobbled into the office and searched for any sign of Netzach and Y/n. While I was searching Gebura came into my office and asked where Y/N was. I told her I didn't know but told her where I last saw Nothing there."  
You just listened as Chesed gave his story, amazed by how he kept looking for you while injured and not at all surprised to hear Gebura berated him the entire time no one knew where you were.   
The white night was still out, but his apostles had mostly been dealt with. Once Nothing There was contained, you, Chesed, Netzach and Gebura reported to your father's office. He had so many camera lining the walls, the death and destruction that The White Night was responsible for dotting the walls. You looked away from the monitors, Netzach rubbing your back and telling you it will be alright.   
"So, the White Night." You started, whispering to Netzach. "This is what happens when it gets its final apostle?"  
"I mean, technically the Plague Doctor got his final apostle. Then shit kinda... went crazy. And now he's the White Night. It happened before but we reversed it with the backwards clock. Since then we kept people from his unit at all costs."  
"Is everything going to be alright?"  
"Breach is mostly contained. White Night is the only thing out still and he's being handled."  
"... Also, why is um... she here." You whispered, pointing to Little Red Riding hooded mercenary, in the corner giving her account to a clerk. "... shouldn't she be-"  
"She's practically an employee when breaches happen. To pay her accordingly her account of events needs to be documented."  
"Ah. Okay." Netzach chuckled, amused at your discomfort with an abnormality just roaming around. Netzach was looking around the office, afraid of what your father would say upon his return.   
"...I'm... afraid your dad is going to find out about you and Chesed. I left it out of my report... but 14 plus other eye witness accounts mention you both playin tonsil hockey... sooo-“  
“I appreciate the effort Netzach.”  
“Anytime. I was rooting for you both. You make him happy... and uh... since you both are together now...” Netzach said in a smug whisper, forcing a chuckle out of you “let me tell you about the last time he and I drank together.”

Chesed didn’t really like seeing you and Netzach giggling over there in the corner but he was still giving the clerk details and couldn’t Hear what you both were saying. He took a mental note to ask later. He shifted his attention to Gebura, the woman glaring at him from the other side of the room. She had already shared her account of the breach, making absolutely sure that everyone knew about the kiss. Ah, the kiss. Never had something felt so right and yet everyone was looking at him like he committed the most heinous crime imaginable. He glanced back over at you, seeing you burying your face in your hands. He groaned, pretty sure what Netzach was telling you.  
“What happened next?” The clerk asked cheerfully, regaining Chesed’s attention. He mumbled a quick apology, trying to keep from glancing at you.   
“I, um, I don’t - Yeah, Rabbit team took down Nothing There and I was standing beside Y/n-“  
“And then the kiss.” The clerk added, jotting down something on his clipboard.  
“I.... Yes. I kissed her.”  
“Mm, hope that was worth your job.” The clerk said under his breath, Chesed breathing in and trying not to be offended. Uncharacteristically, Chesed snapped back.   
“10 times over. Meaning it was 100 times worth more than your job.” The clerk stopped writing for a second but didn’t look up. He went back to writing a second later and while he felt like an ass, it was satisfying to shut him up.  
“We’re done here. Thank you for your time, Sephirah-“  
“Sure.” He offered, mostly waving off the clerk and going to join you and Netzach. As he sat down beside you Angela and Yesod entered the room. He tensed, afraid, seeing them together. You glanced over at them too and then back st Chesed, sharing a worried look. Netzach too your hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb and trying to keep you calm. Something that Chesed appreciated. Seeing you sitting beside Chesed, Angela and Yesod strode over. Angela clearly wasn’t happy.  
“Chesed.”  
“Angela.” He said flatly. She narrowed her eyes at him. She looked to you, but you were busy being calmed by Netzach.   
“We got more employees for your department. Starting tomorrow you will have a new team, Y/N will begin manager duties.”  
“Oh great.” You groaned, shaking your head and staring down at the ground. She mostly ignored you.  
“Chesed,” The AI started, “what happened? A spur of sudden emotion? Or is there something I should be concerned about?”  
“I’d say a spur of emotion.” Yesod cut in defensively, no doubt remembering the debt he owed. Chesed smiled, overjoyed to see Yesod taking his side. “Chesed has always been a respected and dedicated Sephirah. No doubt he would have been overcome with emotion seeing that Y/N had survived. Especially since they got separated.” Angela raised a brow, confused at Yesod weighing in. Chesed took the opportunity.  
“Yes. It will never happen again. I had a lot on my mind at the time.”  
“... A will be in here soon to address the situation himself.” Angela announced. In the mean time, I need you and Y/n to stay here. Everyone else will be leaving.”  
“Yes ma’am.” He answered, almost defeated. While Angela wasn’t aware of the sleeping situation, A was. Chesed’s heart was almost out of control. He was going to lose you anyway , now that you had manager duties and such, but at least then he’d still get to see you on occasion. Most likely, your father wasn’t going to like hearing about this.


	15. Chapter 15

A had entered the room shortly after Angela had, most people excusing themselves with the exception of you, Chesed and a Clerk. Chesed was sitting on the sofa, his ankle still painfully pulsating despite the medication. You stood, standing patiently in front of your fathers desk as he himself was just getting to his desk, a clerk walking behind him and desperately trying to speak with him. The haggard man sighed, not wanting to deal with a clerk right now.  
" Red Riding Hooded Mercenary's account specifically states that during the time of the White Night incident that the punishing bird was seen-"  
"The Punishing bird escapes all the time." Your father said, waving off the clerk's concern. "It's not unusual to see him flying around-"  
"Yes, I know but both breaches-"  
"That will be all, Delta20. I have something a little more...pressing to deal with." Your father's voice was commanding, making everyone in the room feel a little bit smaller. The clerk backed away, thanking A for his time and excusing himself.  
Now fully behind his desk, your father looked down at you, narrowing his eyes and then shifting his gaze to Chesed.  
"Dad-"  
"Daniel, front and center."  
"He's hurt."  
"Yes, sir." Chesed obliged, standing quickly and making his way to the front of the desk. The pain was so evident in his eyes and you couldn't help but wince yourself as he hobbled over. He kept his head held high, looking your father directly in the eyes. He was impressed with Chesed's candor but that would only get him so far.  
"Now," He started, not breaking eye contact with the scared sephirah. "You two will never see each other again-"  
"Dad-"  
"Yes, Sir." He agreed, giving a curt nod. You looked over at him in disbelief, your father having absolutely no sympathy.  
"Good. Y/N, you will be starting work tomorrow in your new office, next door to my own. If you ever see each other it will be business only. I trust we won't have to talk about this again."  
"Not at all sir."  
"Good."  
"Dad, I want to see Chesed." Your father shifted his attention to you but Chesed never stopped looking forward. "There's nothing in the employee handbook that would prevent any kind of relationship like this. You cannot tell me not to see him."  
"Yes I can, I'm your father."  
"That's a stupid reason-"  
"Be quiet, Y/N."   
"Please, Y/N. It's not worth it" Chesed whispered, catching your ears and making a pang in your heart. Your father scoffed, crossing his arms and returning his gaze to Chesed. "Sir, I will respect your wishes and I will stay away from your daughter but if I am not allowed to pursue her romantically I'd like to say something to her now since it will effectively be the only time I will ever be able to." The boss was caught of guard, raising a brow. This unusual request piqued his interest and so he motioned for Chesed to continue. The Sephirah took in a deep breath, turning to you and cupping both your hands in his. Your little blush took him off his guard, making him chuckle and making a blush creep up in him as well.  
"Daniel..." There you go again, catching him off guard.  
"Y/N, I know that we didn't spend a whole lot of time together but you are a beautiful and dedicated person inside and out and if I discovered anything in the past week it's that I've fallen for you. From here on out, We're strictly business. It's dangerous if we're anything more."

 

 

Chesed groaned, unlocking his office and hobbling inside on a single crutch. The new welfare department team had surprised their new boss with a shiny blue crutch with all their names on it. Considering everything that he just had to give up, it brought a smile to his face. He gave his orders and told his new team that they would catch up and get to know one another later. Right now, he wanted to be alone.  
He turned the light on, letting out a light gasp to see Netzach and Yesod waiting in his office. Netzach smiled, seeing his friend on a nice new blue crutch.  
"...Your teams always love you unconditionally."  
"What are you both doing here?"  
"This was not my idea!" Yesod defended, clearly embarrassed. "I'm here as support and in no way want anyone to know I'm involved in this."  
"What exactly is 'this'?" Chesed said slowly, Netzach aiding him in walking to his desk. As he sat down, Netzach sat on the desk, looking down at Chesed with a big smile.  
"You don't have to give up your girlfriend OR lose your job."  
"How do you even know about that?"  
"We took some educated guesses and assumed that A would not be happy with you dating his daughter, Angela's announcement that she would be starting her new job tomorrow, despite not finishing training, was a giveaway also that he's trying to keep you apart." Yesod answered, nodding every so often. "Angela and A are going to do everything in their power to separate you."  
"Which is why Yesod did some digging-"  
"I am not involved in going against our superiors." Yesod cut him off, his denial unconvincing. Netzach shook his head, shooting Yesod a knowing smirk.  
"Anyway, He discovered that in the event of an emergency, All Lobotomy Corporation offices are connected to a safe room and weapon storage in the center of the facility. It's not on the maps. It's not on the cameras."  
"Speaking of which." Yesod said lowly, reaching in his pocket and talking out 3 small crushed up things. He tossed them on Chesed's desk, the Sephirah connecting the dots quickly.  
"....You found those in here?"  
"I installed them in here." Yesod admitted. "Angela had me bug your office after the Silent Orchestra breach. She said it was to keep Y/N safe. Because she is no longer in your care, I told her I would be removing the bugs in your office. She didn't seem happy, however because Y/N is no longer in your care she has no grounds to continue to monitor you."  
"Son of a bitch-"  
"Chesed... I believe they were trying to get Y/N away from you the moment she agreed to help you with your department. They were just looking for excuses and gathering evidence.... Ch-... Daniel... You deserve to be happy with her." Yesod admitted, fiddling with his hands and staring off to the side. "This safe room is only connected by the offices. There is no other way into it. Most people don't even know it exists. I had no idea myself until looking into it."  
"Aside from that, there's a couple more ways around it." Netzach cut in. "If she visited my office and you just happened to be visiting also, Her dad wouldn't have to know."  
"Or my office." Yesod offered. "I've also spoken to Hod. She was easy to convince. If you and Y/n ever visit her office at the same time she'll keep it quiet."  
"...You guys did all this..for me?" Chesed, leaned back in his chair, mostly looking at Yesod. He embarrassed the purple haired man, who quickly looked away.  
"We did this because you're an excellent Sephirah who gives everything to this company and the one time that you want something, you are being outright denied. It's not against the rules, it doesn't keep you from your job. The only reason they are keeping you apart is because her father doesn't approve. I don't think that's fair."  
"Yeah," Netzach said lazily, "So, we're gonna help you keep your girlfriend!"


	16. Chapter 16

You tapped your desk lazily as Angela explained the functions of all your interfaces and tablets. The job was mostly just you sitting in a chair and making life and death decisions. Just the thought was invasive and boring. Angela could tell you were losing interest but didn't care. Even the death of employees could benefit the company and therefore she cared very little if you made mistakes. You started fiddling with your computer, Angela obvious perturbed that you weren't listening.  
You opened the little email tab, prepared to blather about your boredom to Chesed. Surprisingly, you saw 20 emails unanswered. A couple of them were just Sephirah informing you of things running smoothly and requests for E.G.O weapons and gear. Speaking of which, the latest was from Chesed. You clicked it, noting the subject line: 'EGO for future manager'. As Angela continued to explain your job and something about that half dead cactus on your desk you read the email.

'I understand that I barely have a team but I need some ALEPH gear quickly. We can't risk anything happening to Y/N. I think she's a little too sweet for this line of work.'

You couldn't help but smile. Angela raised a brow but didn't care enough to ask.  
"And most importantly, you are responsible for sending EGO weapons and armor out to Sephirah who put in requests for them. That's fairly simple. Once you send them an email telling them they're approved, send a blind carbon copy to the armory and when the Sephirah goes to pick it up the armory will already know who needs what. Now, Let us discuss your main objective."  
"I have a main job?"  
"Yes. You see, the sephirah run their own departments for the most part, however, you can override their decisions. If one of the sephirot orders an employee to a certain abnormality, you have the ability to cancel it and reassign them."  
"....Why would I have that power? That sounds useless. The Sephirah should be able to make their own choices."  
"Sometimes a manager has to step in for the good of the company," Angela said darkly, bringing up the large projected panel of the facility. It hovered in front of your desk glowing a dim blue. She poked the screen, showing an employee by the name of Juniper, walking in the Security department. "Heres an example... Netzach should be taking a nap about now... If something in his department were to escape, Tiphereth would leave her post to scold him, which would cause the Burrowing heaven to escape and kill her department. Which we need. Her department houses The Mountain of Smiling bodies. He would escape and eat the bodies and produce more power than we could in a week."  
"...That requires how many people to die?" She didn't answer, enacting her plan by sending Juniper into a chamber. You didn't recognize the number but when she poked the chamber to show a lock box with an eyeball looking out of the keyhole, you gasped. The eye looked right at you, almost if it knew and large spider-like metal limbs began to burst out of it and suddenly it was on the move. "Angela, Make it stop-"  
"You've been spending too much time with Chesed."

 

The blue sephirah was beside himself to get an email from you. His heart fluttered to see the little heart in the subject line. He had his hurt leg up on his desk, coffee in one hand and a computer mouse in the other. You approved his Ego....a week late. Didn't matter. At least you looked at his request.

'I have hereby approved your request! Chesed, you can pick up your E.G.O Weapon: Sound of a Star, later today. If you need to reach me for any reason please wait until after 4. I will be meeting with Yesod before then.'

You're so adorable. He got the message. You'd be waiting for him in Yesod's office. He looked to his swelling leg and couldn't help but groan. He had to go all the way up to the information department? On this leg? He let out a deep breath, swinging his leg off the desk and back to the ground. He hissed as his cast made contact. How on earth was he supposed to make it up that far in the facility?  
He made his way slowly, waving to his bustling team as he passed by. A couple asked if he needed help but he would always shake it off, flashing them a smile and telling them to keep on their jobs. Every little step hurt, sure, but to see your smile again was going to be worth it. He hadn't seen you in a couple of days 

 

 

You had to travel through the carnage left over by the Mountain of smiling bodies just to get to the information department. Yesod was standing in the center of his staff the moment you arrived. He was ruthless, scolding them for not being able to handle something called Schadenfreude when it entered their department. He spotted you, trying your best to stand straight and tall like a proper manager. He nodded, immediately shooing away his department.

"All of you get out of my sight. You have jobs to do. If you fail again it could cost you your lives." You cut through the dispersing crowd, greeting Yesod quite formally. He couldn't help but smirk.  
"You're doing well today, Yesod."  
"Likewise, Manager. I'm glad you came to visit. We had a bit of a situation earlier today. I'm sure you saw it."  
"Don't remind me." You mumbled, motioning to go to Yesod's office. 

 

You and Yesod spent about 10 minutes of shooting the breeze in his vibrant violet office before you both jumped hearing the door open. Netach poked his head through and you both let out a heavy rough sigh. The green haired sephira put his hands up defensively.  
"Well, Excuse me.....Sup, Manager?"  
"We thought you were Chesed." You said, looking down to the carpeting of the office. White. Pristine. Netzach shrugged and smirked.  
"Daniel's coming by?"  
"Yes, It will be the first time they see each other with this little arrangement we made."  
"They're gonna be swapping spit in your office."  
"Don't remind me," Yesod grumbled, getting up from his desk and massaging his forehead. He wasn't thrilled with the concept but he still wanted to help. "He should be by soon."  
"Hey, Manager, I got a question." Netzach started, the slur in his voice much more pronounced now. "I was wondering why you sent Juniper to Schadenfreude. She had never been trained for him..." You gasped and Yesod looked at you out of the corner of his eye. "I'm just wondering. I know you get paid the big bucks to make big calls but She said her original orders were given a manager override.... Why?"  
"It wasn't me." You admitted sheepishly, "Angela was showing me how to use my interface. She poked Juniper and sent her to a room. I didn't even know which one."  
"Interesting." Yesod started. He opened his mouth to add to that, only to be interrupted by his office door. You all turned with a smile seeing a familiar blue-haired Sephirah.


End file.
